Katey Brooks, who originally comes from Bristol, is a popular singer-songwriter and has recently released her new full-length highly anticipated album titled ‘REVOLUTE’. This 11-track long release is inspired by love, loss, learning, and rebirth and is the result of needing to break out and reclaim one’s self and one’s autonomy.
Katey, whose music fuses soul, folk, blues, and country, is noted as a clear-eyed rebel in an industry that demands consistency. The unabashed songwriting talent has been delivering audiences with her most honest and authentic work to date. Although the wandering troubadour defies easy classification, what is certain is her ability to allow listeners to delve into her own world, through contemplative lyricism and hypnotizing melodies.
Growing up inside a cult as a child, Brooks found refuge in song. Her music details her romantic turbulence and the struggle to come to terms with her sexuality. As Brooks reveals, “It was a very chaotic upbringing, full of some pretty colorful and sometimes unsavory, characters. But when I sang, I felt free and connected. For as long as I can remember, it’s been my way of getting what I need to say out”. She continues, “When I was 22 my mum got ill and she died. And then not long after that, my lifelong best friend went missing and she also died. That’s definitely had an effect on the course of my life and my writing. I guess I’m lucky that I have songs that I can write, as a means to deal with things”.
The highly anticipated self-produced album ‘REVOLUTE’ is inspired by love, loss, learning, and rebirth and is the result of needing to break out and reclaim one’s self and one’s autonomy. Brooks confides, “Completing these tracks is not only the closure of a difficult chapter for me but the exciting beginning of something new, with my freedom finally found”. A perpetual theme throughout the 11 track release is the truth. Bleeding into every song, the songstress is an advocate for being your most authentic self. REVOLUTE was crafted to act as a reminder that life is too short to live with regret and negativity.
Mastered by Ryan Smith who has worked with Adele, Bob Dylan, and Talking Heads in the past and mixed by Paul Quinn, Tarrant Shepherd, and Clint Murphy, Brooks set out with the desire to inspire others to love themselves fiercely. Drawing comparisons from the organic instrumentation of Jeff Buckley to the abundant vocal harmonies found in The Staves and Fleet Foxes, Brooks’ music is simple and unpretentious – just heartfelt and honest songs.
The album features songs such as ‘All of Me’ which is a stunning soulful ballad and surges with true emotion. ‘All of Me’ highlights honest lyricism, organic instrumentation, and heart-wrenching melodies. Narrating calling someone out on their ambivalence, Katey Brooks professes, “It was inspired by a personal situation with someone I was prepared to give my world to. They proclaimed deep love, but then proceeded to behave in ways that were completely incongruent with that proclamation”.
Further comes the next track ‘In Your Arms’, which is a raw love song evoking the emotions of expressing your love for someone. Sonically, the single showcases Brooks authentic musicianship, with soulful choral vocals, warm tones, and ethereal soundscapes. ‘Never Gonna Let Her Go’ was the result of being shamed for her sexuality. Brooks preaches, “Judge me for my true failings, ask me to change those things that actually affect you, and I’ll hear that. But one thing I’ll never change, and one thing that is definitely not wrong with me is my love for women”.
Katey Brooks has found success recording with the likes of Brian May (Queen), Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) and Paloma Faith. She has garnered acclaim from the likes of Billboard, Pride, The Advocate, Gay Times, After Ellen and Earmilk to name a few. Brooks has played some of the world’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury, WOMAD, the 2012 Paralympics, and Australia’s National Folk Festival, as well as garnering acclaim from publications such as Billboard, Gay Times, The Advocate and The Independent. Each of these milestones has brought Brooks to the place she is today, determined to do things her own way with the confidence and freedom to showcase REVOLUTE to the world.
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You can listen to REVOLUTE here on Spotify.
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